Jose Mourinho slapped with touchline ban for grabbing rival manager's face

Jose Mourinho has been slapped with a three-match ban following a peculiar incident where he pinched the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk. The incident occurred during a heated Turkish Cup clash between Fenerbahce and their arch-rivals earlier this week.

The match was marked by four late dismissals, and tensions were high between the two managers. Mourinho grabbed Buruk's nose after the final whistle, leading to Buruk dramatically collapsing to the ground.

The Turkish Football Federation has scrutinised the incident and determined Mourinho's penalty. The ex-Manchester United and Chelsea manager has been suspended for three matches and fined approximately £6,000 for what they deem 'unsportsmanlike behaviour'.

This means Mourinho will be absent from the upcoming matches against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor and Kayserispor. Fenerbahce is currently trailing league leaders Galatasaray by six points, albeit with a game in hand.

The TTF's decision follows a fierce exchange of words between the two clubs. Unsurprisingly, Fenerbahce defended their manager post-incident.

A statement from the club outlined: "This was a planned provocation [by Buruk] and as part of this plan the individual acted as if he had been 'shot' and fell to the ground in a professional manner, and his disrespectful words and actions are documented on video. The absurdity of someone who is touched on the nose immediately throwing himself to the ground and writhing for seconds is clear to the public. It is evident that this individual's tendency to fall to the ground, seen during his playing days, continues in his coaching career, showing that this behaviour is a characteristic attitude."

Metin Ozturk, Galatasaray's vice president, pulled no punches in condemning Mourinho's conduct: "Our manager Okan and Mourinho congratulated the referees. After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked him.

"Where else in the world can he do this? What does he think of Turkey? I believe that Fenerbahce's management will impose the necessary sanction before the federation does."

In a surprising twist, Buruk himself offered an unexpected defence for his counterpart right after the incident: "There was nothing between me and Mourinho. He pinched my nose from behind. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it wasn't a very nice or elegant thing to do. We expect managers to behave more appropriately in such situations. I won't exaggerate this issue, but it wasn't a classy move."